An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride: Volume 2

by Fuminori Teshima

  “Zagan, what about this magic circle?” Foll said, pointing at the magic circle drawn on the ground all the while. It was large enough that even with a long stride, it would take three or four steps to cross. Additionally, it was constructed using delicately inlaid crystals. It was fascinating to think how sorcery carried to the extreme was so beautiful.

  “What about it?” Zagan tilted his head to the side, and Foll replied as if it were obvious.

  “This is a dragon’s magic formula.”

  “What the... You sure?”

  “Yep.”

  It appeared there were circuits that were only handed down among dragons. This magic circle’s structure as sorcery wasn’t different from what he knew, so that must have been the difference.

  He was an Archdemon who lived for a thousand years, so it isn’t all that strange for him to be versed in the magic formulas of dragons. Though it wasn’t a power that he could possibly understand at the mere age of eighteen.

  And while Zagan was deeply moved by that new truth, Foll looked up at him with a somehow boastful look on her face.

  “I properly reported it, just as you asked.”

  Her figure as she did so would never make one think that she was an atrocious dragon. No, instead it made Zagan naturally begin brushing her head.

  “Indeed. How admirable, Foll.”

  “Heh...” After squinting her eyes like it tickled, Foll ran over to Nephy.

  “Nephy, Zagan praised me.”

  “Good for you, Foll.”

  After having her head brushed gently by Nephy as well, Foll let out a fully satisfied sigh.

  Looking at her like that, Zagan felt a feeling similar to his desire to protect Nephy well up within him.

  I don’t want to admit it, but do I care for her as well...? He wanted to deny it at first, but now that it had come to this, he had no choice but to face the music. And while Zagan was bewildered by the change within himself, he asked Foll a question.

  “Hear me, Foll. Do you know what sort of device this is?”

  “It probably... conceals a door or something.”

  That meant it was a seal which made use of a dragon’s magic formula.

  And beyond this... is the main part of the castle, huh? With that, it was no wonder that he was unable to find any significant knowledge last time.

  “Can you open it?”

  “I can try...” Foll touched the magic circle, and began investigating its structure.

  And while Zagan was watching her attentively, Nephy nestled up next to him.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “No, um...” As Zagan tilted his head to the side, in an unusual turn, Nephy was hesitating to speak while her mouth fidgeted about. And, as if she was being bashful about something, the tips of her pointy ears were dyed bright red.

  After a bit, she looked at Zagan with upturned eyes as if telling him to somehow figure it out.

  Am I, an Archdemon, being tested...? He never thought he would receive a trial like this from Nephy, so he was stupefied. In a daze, Zagan frantically put his head to use.

  Is she... coaxing me or something? For Nephy to insist on such a thing on her own was exceedingly unusual. She wanted him to figure it out on his own somehow...

  After a short while, Zagan suddenly remembered Foll’s fully satisfied expression. When Zagan and Nephy praised her, the young girl made an easy to understand broad grin.

  However, I also try to praise Nephy as much as I can...

  Of course, it was difficult for Zagan to spout honest words of gratitude or praise. But even so, he was intent on voicing his feelings whenever possible, and he also thought that Nephy had figured that out to an extent.

  Then, is it something else? He didn’t think it was something far off from his exchange with Foll.

  After that, Zagan remembered how Foll squinted her eyes like she was awfully comfortable.

  I see... That’s what it is, then!

  Finally, he felt like he found the answer. And with a tense countenance, Zagan returned Nephy’s gaze.

  “Nephy.”

  “Y-Yes...”

  “Don’t... move, got it?”

  “...Huh?”

  While Zagan was making a tormented face, like he had come across an enemy that he had no hope of defeating, Nephy looked back at him with her eyes wide open.

  Eventually, Zagan timidly stretched his hand out to Nephy’s face, Nephy let out a gulp, and he touched her soft hair.

  Nephy was coaxing him for something that she couldn’t put into words. And the answer that Zagan arrived at was— To pet Nephy’s head!

  And sure enough, Nephy squinted her eyes comfortably, letting out a sigh of relief as she did.

  I’ve also had my head stroked before, haven’t I?

  Zagan also had his head gently brushed back when he used Nephy’s lap as a pillow. Among all his experiences in life, it was a moment of utmost happiness. And yet, Zagan had never reciprocated the act. Watching Foll get her head gently brushed right before her eyes must have made Nephy feel jealous.

  As the tips of Nephy’s ears quivered in satisfaction, she suddenly leaned against Zagan’s body.

  You know, this kind of thing... isn’t bad at all.

  Those were his true, honest thoughts in the moment.

  He also realized that Nephy had never shown such emotions when it was just the two of them. Seemed some sort of desire was born within Nephy after Foll joined their household.

  It was a dramatic change compared to how she had given up on life when they first met.

  “...” And as Zagan’s cheeks loosened up from that realization, he noticed Foll was staring at him intently, which made them quickly separate from each other.

  “Wh-What is it, Foll?”

  “It’s open...”

  There was now a gaping wide opening that led to a staircase further down in front of the little girl.

  “Mm, good work!” Zagan said, as he descended down the staircase with quick steps.

  ◇

  An enormous archive came into sight as they reached the bottom of the staircase. The ceiling pierced through all the way to the floor above, and bookshelves and such were lined up as high as one could see.

  On a rough estimate, there were likely tens of thousands of books. It would surely take more than a decade to read through all of them. And among the musty tomes, there were many which appeared quite old, and even some which looked handmade.

  They were the books Marchosias had spent a thousand years collecting.

  After taking it all in, Zagan shifted his focus over to Foll.

  “Well done, Foll. It seems this is the genuine article.”

  If they searched around, then there may have been other secret passages, but a dragon’s magic formula was used as a seal in the entrance hall. Plus, it was placed in a manner that stood out. Its frequency of use was high, and yet the probability that it was an extremely important place was also high.

  After running such thoughts through his head, Zagan turned around to face Nephy and Foll.

  “Collect absolutely every book that describes anything related to demons or the Sigil of the Archdemon.”

  Even if it didn’t cut to the core of the matter, as long as he gathered circuits related to them, he would eventually be able to see the whole picture. After all, a sorcerer could always reach the heart of a matter through proper research.

  Nephy then lifted the hem of her skirt and bent down at the waist.

  “Certainly, as you will.” Zagan had taught her everything necessary when they last visited. Since this was the second time, she had grown accustomed to evaluating a book based on the title and the table of contents. And next to her, Foll looked up at Zagan as if she was anticipating something.

  “...Well, I don’t mind if you bring back any books you find that you have your sights on, either.”

  “Roger!” After Foll said that and nodded, each of them walked off in separate directions.

  For the t
ime being, Zagan started by investigating the shelves which were consolidated together.

  With an archive of this scale, it seems possible that there’ll be even more hidden staircases or the like...

  For example, manipulating a book on a shelf could reveal a hidden area. That sort of setup was seen quite often in a sorcerer’s hideout.

  Marchosias’ archive was vast under normal circumstances, so Zagan wasn’t sure where to even begin.

  As he walked along the shelves while skimming over the titles on the spines, he happened across Foll. It seemed she was searching the same bookshelf from the other side.

  Looking up at Zagan’s face, Foll tilted her head to the side ever so slightly.

  “Zagan, you seem happy.”

  “Is it that obvious?”

  “It is.”

  Zagan touched his own face as he heard her words. He didn’t know if he was really smiling or not, but her prodding made him realize he might’ve been in a good mood.

  “Well, I mean, I have so many books at my disposal now. Why wouldn’t I be happy?”

  “I can understand that.” Unexpectedly, Foll agreed with him.

  “I don’t hate... reading books.”

  “I see...” Zagan tried imagining the sight of this little girl carrying a heavy book as she tottered about. He wasn’t Manuela, but his face reflexively loosened up at the thought. And in response to that, Foll once more questioned him in a curious tone.

  “Zagan, can you read the hearts of others?”

  “Huh...? Who knows... I wonder...” Without understanding the meaning of her question, he replied as if giving her the slip, and conversely, Foll shifted her gaze over to him in earnest.

  “Zagan, you could tell what Nephy wanted... without either of you speaking about it.” She was likely talking about when Zagan pet Nephy’s head earlier. However, having that deliberately said to him made Zagan want to die of embarrassment. And so, he then scratched the tip of his nose, as if glossing to distract himself.

  “Nephy always seems to know my every want and need. If I didn’t understand her at least a little, then I would lose face.” Even though he had hurt her and thrown her out once, Nephy sensed his true feelings and decided to return to his side. That was why he wanted to answer her in kind.

  And after he made his intentions clear, Foll cast her eyes down in a somewhat lonely manner.

  “I’m just a little... jealous.”

  Hearing that, Zagan knit his brows suspiciously.

  “Why are you speaking like it’s someone else’s problem?”

  “Uh, what...?

  “I don’t know how long dragons live, but Marchosias survived a thousand years.”

  Foll stared back at Zagan blankly, as if she didn’t understand his words. And so, he said the following while averting his gaze.

  “With a thousand years, we can at least reach the point where we sense such things without exchanging words, right?” Of course, he also had Nephy by his side, so he was in a rush to gather knowledge in order to allow her to live as many of those years as freely as possible.

  In response to that, Foll made a face like she couldn’t believe his words.

  “You’ll... stay... with me...?”

  “I don’t plan on meddling in your choices, so that depends on you.”

  “I’ll stay here,” Foll replied, then clung to Zagan’s arm.

  This sort of affection... isn’t in my nature, though... Still, he begrudgingly brushed Foll’s head.

  That carried on for a while until Zagan realized he couldn’t just stay like that forever. And as he continued to search through the archive with Foll stuck to his arm, she suddenly raised her face.

  “That’s...?” She pulled out a single book from the shelf as she uttered that lone word. And her face immediately turned sharp and aggressive.

  The title was ‘The Twelve Sacred Swords.’ The Sacred Swords were the natural enemies of sorcerers. It seemed to be a book that compiled information on them, but... As Foll began flipping through the pages of the book, Zagan raised his voice with an ‘Ah.’

  “Hand that over for a bit.”

  “Grrr...” Though Foll groaned and glared at him, he had no leisure to worry about such matters.

  Reproductions of the letters carved into the Sacred Swords covered the pages. And as he gazed at them, Zagan lowered his eyes to his right hand.

  I was right! Comparing it by eye, the Sigil of the Archdemon held similar characteristics to the crests etched onto the Sacred Swords.

  It wasn’t enough to say they resembled each other. However, if they were letters, then there were many common portions to them. Basically, it seemed they had the same cultural origin.

  Since the similarities were so minor, it didn’t even strike a chord back when he happened across Chastille again. Though there was also the fact that she wasn’t carrying her Sacred Sword earlier.

  However, when comparing it to a record like this, he was confident in his observation.

  In other words, if I investigate the Sacred Swords, then I’ll also find out more about the Sigil of the Archdemon.

  If they were crests from the same system, then knowing about one would allow him to understand the other.

  As he concluded his hypotheses, Zagan snapped the book shut and handed it back to Foll.

  “Well done, Foll. Now, go gather any and all books related to the Sacred Swords. I’ll also look around.”

  “Uh, okay...!” Foll was likely interested in Sacred Swords because of her disdain for Angelic Knights. But still, her voice was colored by anticipation and delight.

  After passing that order over to Nephy, the three went around searching and were able to discover several tomes related to the Sacred Swords.

  Chapter III: Getting Involved with Angelic Knight Business Is a Huge Pain!

  “It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Archangel Raphael Hyurandell. I am Chastille Lillqvist.”

  The church’s Kianoides branch cathedral.

  While Zagan and the others were exploring Archdemon Palace, Chastille bowed her head as she presented herself.

  With her authority as an Angelic Knight frozen, Chastille was not permitted to carry her Sacred Sword or don her Anointed Armor. After bumping into Zagan and the others, she changed into a ceremonial dress, so she was now nothing more than an ordinary human girl. Behind her, her three subordinates were standing in a row just like they always did.

  And the Angelic Knight in front of her was a man with a terrifying air of intimidation that made it apparent he was not yet past his prime.

  What caught one’s eye immediately was the deep scar running across his face from his brow to cheek. His graying blonde hair was cut short, and his deep blue eyes were lit with a sharp light that made it feel like his gaze alone could kill. And then, there was his Anointed Armor that looked tight around his large build. With his thick jawbone and finely chiseled nose, he had a fiendish look that would make faint of heart to gasp upon seeing him.

  And on his back, he was carrying a greatsword. A Sacred Sword.

  All twelve Sacred Swords had the same shape. In other words, it should have been the same as the Sacred Sword which was bestowed to Chastille, but on him it looked like it could be used one-handed.

  Priding himself on holding the record for subjugating the most sorcerers in history at 499, he was the symbol of the church’s power. Archangel Raphael.

  The three Angelic Knights in waiting behind Chastille could do nothing but stiffly look up at him.

  However, there were no other Angelic Knights in sight around Raphael.

  An Archangel... came here without a single escort...? Since they were the greatest fighting force of the church, the Archangels had to be protected. Chastille and the other Archangels would fight as the vanguard during the subjugation of sorcerers, but they always had subordinates who protected them in tow. And yet, the only one to come here was Raphael.

  It was certain that he was powerful, but she still thought
that his conduct was quite rash.

  After Raphael gazed at Chastille from the tips of her toes to the top of her head, he let out a smile that looked like a fissure running across a rock.

  “So you’re the damn ‘Maiden of the Sacred Sword’ I’ve heard all about in reports, huh? It’s been said that you’re in the middle of penitence for going against the orders of the church, but contrary to my expectations, you’re making quite the good expression there.”

  Going against the orders of the church... It seemed the fact that she covered for Zagan was not passed along to others. This was likely the consideration of Cardinal Clavwell.

  “Those words are more than I deserve,” Chastille quietly replied, and Raphael let out a snort with a ‘hmph.’

  “How many of those damn sorcerers have you cut down so far?”

  Chastille bit down on her lip as if asking him ‘Really, that’s what you ask first?’

  “...I do not believe that it is a number worth boasting about.”

  “Oh...?” Raphael narrowed his eyes in an overbearing manner.

  (L-Lady Ch-Chastille, please mind the way you’re speaking!)

  (As diminutive as we are, even using our lives as a shield won’t be enough to protect you!)

  (Gaaah, how unsightly. Did we not swear among us that we would throw our lives away for Lady Chastille’s sake!?)

  The three knights were making a clamor in hushed voices, but as Raphael glanced over to them, they violently trembled and shut their mouths.

  Did that ruin his mood? This was the Angelic Knight who had killed the most sorcerers in the world. Chastille did not think that he would feel any hesitation in killing an apostate ally given his body count. Honestly, she had made her resolution to have her head separated from her body today.

  Thinking back on it, the reason she was walking around town when she had to meet this man may have been because she wanted to talk with someone one last time.

  Running across Zagan and Nephy there... was far too good of a coincidence, though.

  ...Well, she did end up in shock and tears at the fact that he didn’t even remember.

  And yet, Raphael took on a defiant attitude and let out a hearty laugh as if amusing himself with Chastille.